Trump live updates: Bill Clinton touted Epstein’s ‘childlike curiosity’ in birthday book, report states, as new messages emerge

Here’s a little more from Ghislaine Maxwell’s attorney David Markus, who spoke to reporters yesterday outside of the federal courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, after her meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had concluded.

“He took a full day and asked a lot of questions, and Ms Maxwell answered every single question,” Markus said, according to The Tallahassee Democrat.

“She never stopped. She never invoked her privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.”

As we’ve heard, Blanche will resume his questioning of the British former socialite and convicted Epstein accomplice later today.

The Justice Department has not yet commented on the meeting.

The president once again blasted “Radical Left Democrats” over the ongoing Epstein files furore on Truth Social last night, describing it as a “SCAM” and a “CON JOB.”

Trump fumed over what he claims is an attempt to “distract and obfuscate” from his administration’s first “GREAT six months of service to America… the results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history.”

“[The Democrats] have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM,” he bellowed.

“As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat CON JOB. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX. Everyone should see what is there, but people who are innocent should not be hurt. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Earlier this week, Brad Edwards, a lawyer for some of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, revealed live on MSNBC that the birthday book at the heart of The Wall Street Journal’s recent reporting is currently in the possession of Epstein’s estate.

California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna responded to Edwards’ revelation by saying he planned to subpoena the estate to gain access to the book.

Epstein’s estate then issued a statement last night saying it would comply with all lawful processes.

Here’s James Liddell’s story on Khanna’s subpoena.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro slammed President Donald Trump for betraying his supporters in a fiery appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday.

Shapiro, a Democrat who represents the pivotal swing state narrowly won by Trump in last November’s election, accused the Republican of only showing up to make promises to blue-collar communities when he needs their vote and neglecting their concerns since returning to power.

Asked about his own appeal in a deep purple state, the governor answered: “I think what they saw in me is someone who gives a damn about them, who treats them with respect – where they go to college, they go to the military, they go to a union apprenticeship program. They saw in me someone who can actually cut through it and solve their problems.

Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday album included a letter from former President Bill Clinton, according to a new report.

The president sued The Wall Street Journal last week after it reported that the 2003 book contained a “bawdy” birthday card from Trump, which he denies writing.

Now, according to the Journal, Clinton was listed alongside Trump in the “friends” section of the book, and wrote Epstein a letter lauding their long friendship and the disgraced financier’s “childlike curiosity.”

A spokesperson for Clinton declined to comment on the message to the newspaper. They referred the newspaper to a previous statement that Clinton had cut off ties more than a decade before Epstein was arrested in 2019 and didn’t know about the sex offender’s alleged crimes.

“It’s reassuring isn’t it, to have lasted as long, across all the years of learning and knowing, adventures and [illegible word], and also to have your childlike curiosity, the drive to make a difference and the solace of friends,” Clinton’s note read, according to the Journal.

Here’s Rachel Dobkin’s report.

Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to meet Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell today in Tallahassee, Florida, after interviewing her yesterday.

In an X post Thursday night, Blanche confirmed that he met with Maxwell and “will continue my interview of her tomorrow.”

“The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,” he added.

Reflecting on Thursday’s encounter, Maxwell’s lawyer David Oscar Markus told Reuters that, “We had a very productive day today.”

Markus refused to comment on the details of the meeting.

Blanche and his entourage, including acting Associate Deputy Attorney General Diego Pestana, were captured by ABC News entering the U.S. attorney’s office, located in the federal courthouse.

Along with the reporting that Donald Trump’s name appeared in the contributor list for Jeffrey Epstein’s 50th birthday book, The New York Times alleged they found a gushing new note from the president to the financier.

The newspaper said it uncovered another note from Trump to Epstein in a copy of his 1997 book Trump: The Art of the Comeback.

“To Jeff — You are the greatest!,” it read, The Times reported.

Trump has yet to comment directly on the newspaper’s report, and the president has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case.

Donald Trump will land in Scotland on Friday as he begins his five-day private trip to the country.

The president is expected to arrive at Prestwick Airport in the evening, before heading over to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire.

He is then expected to head over to his Menie golf course in Aberdeenshire before opening up a new course dedicated to his Scottish mother, who grew up on the Isle of Lewis. He will leave the country at some point on Tuesday.

His presence will result in a significant operation from Police Scotland and thousands of officers, who are expected to deal with mass protests around his golf courses and major Scottish cities.

The New York Times also reviewed an introductory letter to the book, handwritten by Ghislaine Maxwell, the Epstein associate being interviewed by Justice Department officials from a federal prison in Florida.

Maxwell wrote that the idea of the book was “to gather stories and old photographs to jog your memory about places, people and different events.”

It continued: “Some of the letters will definitely achieve their intended goal — some well … you will have to read them to see for yourself. I know you will enjoy looking through the book, and I hope you will derive as much pleasure looking through it as I did putting it together for you.”

President Donald Trump has found himself at the center of a MAGA firestorm over the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, which the Republican pledged to release on the 2024 campaign trail.

Now, after weeks of unrelenting uproar over the Justice Department’s announcement that there was no evidence Epstein had a “client list,” and no further documents in the sex offender’s case would be released, Trump has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce select grand jury testimony in the case.

The names in the court documents released last year, which include Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, were part of a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, against the sex offender’s madam, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Who else is listed in the documents connected to the case?